The Enemy From Within
by Barn Owl Girl
Summary: Bell is back in an all-new adventure! The moon-faced owls have gotten their talons on the Book of Kreeth, and they are ready to experiment on everything. When an evil charm backfires on Bell, she realizes that sometimes the  worst enemy comes from within.
1. Prologue & The Harvest Festival

**I'm back, and with an all-new story now! This is the sequel to Echoes of the Past, so you may want to read that first. Just so that there's no complications to the number of chapters, this chapter has both the Prologue and Chapter 1. The song that Blythe sing at the Harvest Festival is called 'Still the Song Lives On'. And so, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Guardians of Ga'Hoole.  
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><p>Prologue<p>

_In a dark cave, deep in the Northern Kingdoms, Raegan sat, plotting revenge on Bell. She paced back and forth._

_ "Ma'am!" Harmony called as she flew in. "We've just raided the Glauxian Brothers retreat. Those peace-loving monks didn't stand a chance against us, but all they had were a bunch of stupid books. _

_ "Well," Raegan demanded. "Did you bring anything back?"_

_ "Yes, ma'am." Neila said as she flew in with a botkin full of books. She began flipping through them. "Let's see… We've got all the books they had on hagsfiends. Oh, here's one!" She held up a dusty old book._

_ Raegan rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Neila. You know I can't read! What does it say?"_

_ "The Book of Kreeth." Neila read. _

_ "What could we possibly learn from this?" Raegan demanded._

_ "Well, Kreeth was a hagsfiend from the time of the Legends, and she wrote down all her experiments in this book," Neila explained. "And one of those experiments is how to transform a normal owl, such as ourselves, into a hagsfiend!"_

_ "Interesting…" Raegan scratched her chin. "Perhaps this book will be a help to us after all."_

Chapter 1

"Bell…" Someone whispered into Bell's ear slit. "Bell, are you awake?"

Bell opened one eye. She saw Shard's face very close to her's. She sat up. Shard was hopped off of her. He bounced off the wall and skidded along the floor.

Bell churred. "Shard!" she scolded. "There's no ice here, remember?"

Shard had lived in the Northern Kingdoms with his family, which consists of Nyra's relatives. They'd seemed nice at first, then tried to poison Bell. Shard had realized that these owls were evil, so he came to live with Bell at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.

"Sorry!" he churred. "It takes a while for me to adjust."

"'A while?'" Bell repeated. "You've been here for six moon cycles now!"

Shard smiled. "Point being?"

Bell shrugged him off. "Anyway, why are we up so early?"

"Well," Shard explained. "It was your sisters' ideas, and they said that we should decorate for the Harvest Festival. You know, to get in the mood."

Bell grinned. "That's a brilliant idea!" she exclaimed.

Bash and Blythe, Bell's triplet sisters, flew with some milkberry vines. "Let's get decorating!" Blythe cried. They all flew around the hollow, hanging decorations and vines.

When Soren and Pelli awoke, they were amazed.

"Happy Harvest Festival!" Shard and the three B's cried.

"You did all this for us?" Pelli asked, looking around at the fully decorated hollow. "It must have taken _forever!" _

"We've been up all afternoon," Bash explained.

"What?" Soren exclaimed. "You'll be exhausted by the time you have to sing!"

"It's ok," Blythe shrugged. "We're not tired."

"It was very sweet of you to decorate the hollow, but you didn't have to wake up in the middle of the day!" Pelli replied. "Well, what's done is done, and there's nothing you can do about that." She turned and smiled at them all. "Come on," she said. "Now it's time for tweener."

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><p>By midnight, the Harvest Festival was in full swing. Everyone was dancing, except for Shard and the three B's.<p>

Bell walked over to Shard. "Would you like to dance?"

Shard looked nervously at his talons. "Uh… I don't dance."

"Oh, why not?" Bell asked, looking downcast.

"I never learned how to dance," Shard replied

"It's ok," Bell lifted his chin. "I'll teach you."

Fifteen minutes later, Bell and Shard were dancing. It was almost time for Blythe's solo, and she was scanning the crowd for her sisters. Her eyes then fell on Bell and Shard. She flew over to them and grabbed Bell. Blythe pulled her over to a perch on the wall.

"Oh, my Glaux!" Blythe cried. "I'm freaking out! I'm so afraid that I'll mess up the song, of hit the wrong note, or yawn in the middle of a phrase, or-"

"There's nothing to worry about, Blythe," Bell comforted. "You're an amazing singer and you've been practicing this song for ever. You'll be fine."

Blythe smiled at Bell. "Thanks. You always know just what to say."

"Hold on to that thought." Bell churred. "You should've seen me when I was at Vienna's lair. I forgot my own name when I first met Shard!"

They both churred heartily.

Just then, a Boreal Owl flew up to Blythe.

"It's time for your solo!" he said.

"Good luck!" Bell cried as she flew back over to Shard.

"What was all that about?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just reassuring my sister. She's gonna sing a solo."

Then, the song that had been playing ended, and Blythe took her place. The Great Grass harp began to play, and then Blythe began to sing.

_I take a lifetime, _

_Turn it into song _

_To hold it captive _

_Deep within my chest._

_And I call it to me_

_Whenever I can't see your face_

_For the words recall _

_What time can't erase._

_And I remember_

_All the joy and laughter_

_All the times of gladness_

_From a life now gone._

_And the sweet, sweet music_

_So pure that I forget to breathe_

_Though the singer's gone, _

_Still the song lives on._

_I take a life time,_

_Toss it in the wind._

_To watch the sorrows_

_Falling to the ground. _

_But the times of gladness_

_Float above the trees so high_

_To become as many songs as _

_There are stars in the sky._

_And I remember_

_All the joy and laughter_

_All the times of gladness_

_From a life now gone_

_And the sweet, sweet music_

_So pure that I forget to breathe,_

_Though the singer's gone,_

_Still the song lives on._

_Though the singer's gone,_

_Still the song lives on._

When the song was over, everyone cheered. "Blythe song beautifully!" Shard exclaimed. When Bell looked at him, he had tears in his eyes.

"I knew she could do it," Bell replied. Tears were stinging her eyes, too.

Blythe flew down and landed next to Bell and Shard.

"Blythe, you sang beautifully!" Shard repeated.

"I know!" Blythe replied, a huge smile on her face. "Everyone's been telling me. I was so sure that I would mess up, but I didn't!"

Pelli flew down and wrapped her wings around Blythe. "It's hard to believe that the owl who just sang was my little hatchling!" She said with tears steaming from her eyes.

"Mum!" Blythe scolded. "I'm not an owlet anymore!

Pelli let go of her daughter and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, dear." She turned to Soren. "They grow up so fast. Seems like just last night they were hatchlings, wishing for their flight feathers to come in, and now, well, they're old enough to find a family of their own." She swiveled her head to look at Bell and Shard, watching them dancing and having a great time. "It's pretty clear that Bell and Shard sjare something special," Pelli told her mate. "Look at the way they look at each other. You'd have to be blind not to see that what they've found is true love." She then noticed Mrs. P slithering past. "Oh, sorry about the 'blind' comment," Pelli nervously churred.

Mrs P. shrugged her off. "It's alright, dear."

Pelli scanned the crowd for her other two daughters. Blythe was being interviewed by Fritha, the main journalist for _The Evening Hoot_, and Bash was dancing with Tobyfyor, Fiona's son.

Soren noticed Pelli's worried expression. "What's wrong?

"Oh, I'm just worried that Blythe and Bash won't be able to find a mate," Pelli replied, staring at her other two daughters.

"They'll be fine," Soren said reassuringly. "Come on."

Just as they were about to fly off, a Snowy Owl flew up to them. He was extremely out of breath.

"Urgent news, sir," he panted to Soren. "I just got back from the Glauxian Brothers retreat, and it's been robbed!"

Soren and Pelli both gasped at the same time. "What - what was stolen?" Pelli nervously asked.

"The thieves took every book on hagsfiends, and one of the Brothers told me that they were talking about the ember, but luckily, all the books on it are in a private area that they did not find."

"Oh, thank Glaux," Pelli sighed. "That would be terrible!"

"Wait!" The Snowy interrupted. "They gave me a description; said that there were three large Barn Owls with moon-like faces."

Soren and Pelli exchanged glances. They'd been wondering how long it'd be before Nyra's relatives popped back up.

The Snowy ignored their glances and continued, "Also, they managed to get a hold of the Book of Kreeth."

"What?" Soren screeched. "Why didn't you tell us that first?"

The Snowy opened his beak, but Soren interrupted, "Oh, forget it. I should thank you for bringing this information. We wouldn't ever have known if it weren't for you."

"Oh, no thanks needed, Your Highness," The Snowy replied. "It's a pleasure to serve." With that, he turned and flew off.

Pelli nervously glanced at Soren. "What should we do now, Soren?"

"Well, we _must _tell the Parliament." Soren stated.

"I know." Pelli sighed. "But what do we say? Hi, everyone. We just found out that Nyra' s relatives have the Book of Kreeth?"

Soren blinked at his mate. "What else?"

Pelli shrugged, so Soren agreed. "Then it's settled. We'll have an emergency Parliament meeting immediately."

Pelli flew up to the announcer's perch and whispered the request into his ear slit. When the song was over, the announcer boomed, "I've just got word that an emergency Parliament meeting is being held. Right now!"

"You hear that?" Bell whispered in Shard's ear slit. "There's a Parliament meeting going on! Wanna listen in?"

Shard grinned at Bell, but all of the sudden, his smile vanished. "Wait, don't you have to be a member of the Parliament to go to those meetings?"

"Yeah…" Bell said slyly. "But I know a way that we can hear them without them hearing us."

Shard's smile returned. "I'm listening."

"It's called The Roots. My Da and all his friends always used to listen in to Parliament meetings, and I found that you'll learn a lot just from listening."

"Ok!" Shard agreed

Bell led him down to the area know as The Roots. They began listening: "Recently, we've been alerted that the Glauxian Brothers retreat has been robbed. The thieves stole every book that mentioned the word 'hagsfiends' and were able to get a copy of 'the Book of Kreeth'. They were all described as large moon-faced owls." Soren said.

Shard beaked the words, "My family."

"I believe that these are the same owls who captured my daughter, Bell, earlier in the year. We know that they're capable of murder, as they tried to poison Bell. Because they are related to Nyra, they may have some hagsfiend blood, so they might be able to use the Book of Kreeth. I suggest that we send out a search party to find their new hideout. My mate, Pelli, will lead the search-and-rescue chaw to the Northern Kingdoms. They shall leave at once."

When Soren was finished his speech, Bell and Shard left The Roots. Once they were out, they saw Pelli over on a branch. Bell flew down and landed beside her.

"Hi, mum!" Bell chirped. "why are you out here?"

"Well, the search-and-rescue chaw is going on a mission." Pelli explained.

"Cool," Bell smiled slyly. "Can I come?"

"No!" Pelli cried. She realized that she'd practically screamed the word, so she quieted down. "No. It's too dangerous. I don't want to lose you again."

Bell sighed. "All right. I'll just stay here. Good luck on your mission." She flew up the where Shard was sitting.

Shard held up one talon. "Lemme guess. You're going to stow away on the mission?"

"Exactly!" Bell nodded. "But I'll need you to cover for me. Say I'm… sick, or something. I dunno."

"Ok." Shard sighed. "Don't get killed!"

Bell rolled her eyes. "Like I would?"

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><p><strong>So, there's Chapter 1. Please leave a comment, and Chapter 2 will be up soon.<br>**


	2. Capturing Books

"So," Raegan barked, "Neila, you said that you'd read me the Book of Kreeth, right? Well, I'd start reading if I were you."

Neila cleared her throat, picked up the book, and started reading, "_Chapter four: How to create a hagsfiend. Due to the fact that all owls are related to a hagsfiend, no matter how far back in history, every owl has some hagsfiend blood. Some owls have more than others, but regardless to your amount of blood, this charm will transform you into a hagsfiend. First, you must have the right setting. A full moon is required, and a large, open space (You will be getting much larger). You must stand in a ring of crow feathers under a full-shine or nearly full-shine moon. This will trigger the beginning of the transformation. The hagsfiend blood in you will keep multiplying, until it is all that you have. For owls who have less blood, it will take 2-3 weeks. If you have a lot of blood, the transformation will take any were between 3 hours and 5 days. In part two, you will learn about transformations with hagsfiends around._"

"Stop there!" Raegan ordered. "Well, now, we know that now is the perfect time to begin the charm. The moon is full tonight, so we have about three nights for the charm. Set out and collect as many crow feathers as possible. I don't care if you have to rip them off a crow, just do it!"

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><p>At twixt time, the search-and-rescue chaw was preparing to leave. Bell hid in the back of the pack, hoping not to be seen. Soon enough, they were on their way, with Bell with them. She should've been glad that Shard was there to cover to her, but, unfortunately, she took him for granted. Not fifteen minutes after they'd left, two owlets walked up to Shard.<p>

"Where's Bell?" one of them asked. "She said that she'd read me a book."

The other owlet rolled his eyes. "Come on, Patsy. She's probably too busy with her new boyfriend." They both snickered.

"Actually," Shard snapped. "Bell's sick, and stuck in her hollow. She won't be out for a few nights."

The second owlet snickered, then leaned over to the first owlet, Patsy, and whispered, "Probably laying eggs."

Due to the fact that Barn Owls have extraordinary hearing, Shard heard every word of this. "She is not!" he said indignantly. "And, would the both of you kindly shut your big fat beaks!"

This scared the owlets off, and they scattered, running for the nearest hollow. Shard sighed. Perhaps he had been a little hard on them. Secretly, he _did _want a child, and sooner rather than later. He hoped that Soren and Pelli would be ok with that. He still feared that he might pass on his haggish blood to Bell's chicks. Perhaps he'd mention it to Soren. But first, he just headed back to the hollow. He needed to think. He always did his best thinking in his hollow. He stared up at the ceiling of hthe private hollow that he and Bell shared. He churred to himself. _A year ago, I never would've guessed that I'd have a mate by now. I'm ready to start a family, but I'm not so sure Bell is.  
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><p>Meanwhile, Bell flew with the search-and-rescue chaw all day long. They didn't stop once, and soon they were in the Northern Kingdoms.<p>

Pelli pointed out some land marks; the Ice Narrow, the Ice Dagger and the Ice Palace, Well, you get the picture. There was a lot of ice.

Bell had always been bewitched by the whiteness of the Northern Kingdoms. It reminded her of Shard. She sort of wished that Shard would've came with her, but she needed some one to cover for her. Plus, if they both went missing at the same time, everyone would think that they ran off together. Bell sighed, then turned her attention back to Pelli.

"We should arrive at the Glauxian Brothers Retreat by moonrise tonight," Pelli called. "We'll do a search for clues there, then branch out and search the area around for signs of the thieves. I doubt that they'd be able to get very far with all those books."

So Pelli and the search-and-rescue chaw flew on for the rest of the day.

When they arrived at the Glauxian Brothers Retreat, they almost instantly saw the hideout. It was easy; they just followed two moon-faced owls.

Pelli watched as they flew into a small opening in a glacier, then turned to the chaw. "We will barge right in and attack," she ordered. " "If you see a book, capture it, and get out of there."

Every owl nodded, except for Miranda. "Wow," she said. "I'd never thought that this mission would end in capturing a _book._"

Pelli ignored her, then continued, "We go on three. One… two… three!"

A mob of owls burst out from behind the glacier and charged straight into the cave. There were moon-faced owls everywhere! Fighting instantly broke out, but Bell avoided this. She skirted around the edge of the cave. Once she was about fifteen feet in, she spotted a huge stack of books. She grinned. If she brought back all these books, her mum would always want to bring her on missions!

Bell began to run over, but in the middle of the cave, she stopped for some reason. Some invisible force made her head head look up at the ceiling. There was a hole in it, whack let the moonlight shine down on her face. She thought it looked like Shard's face.

All the while, Pelli had been fighting. She then turned, and saw the same stack of books that Bell had seen earlier. She began to run over, when she saw Bell, standing in a circle of black feathers, staring up at the moon.

One thought bounced through Pelli's head, _Moonblinking!_

She grabbed Bell, then tried to get to the mouth of the cave. Before she could make it out, a hagsfiend came out of no where. It followed all the Ga'Hoolian owls, chasing them like prey, until they were all out.

Pelli carried Bell down and checked her over." Are you alright?" she fussed.

Bell pushed her away. "I'm fine, mum."

First, Pelli looked relieved, then she looked angry. "I thought I told you to stay at the Tree! And then you came sneaking along on a mission. and completely _ruined it_!"

Bell wilfed. "I'm sorry, mum. I- I just wanted to help."

Pelli sighed, "I know. But I just don't want you to get hurt. I'd feel better if you were back at the Great Tree with your father."

Bell rolled her eyes. "I'm not a little owlet anymore!"

Pelli closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bell," she finally said. "I guess I sort of overreacted when I saw you there. I don't want to lose you again.

Bell smiled. "Don't worry, you won't."

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><p><strong>Sorry about taking so long to update. School is making finding time to write a lot harder, but I'll try to keep going. <strong>

**Don't forget to leave a review!  
><strong>


	3. My Mate, the Hagsfiend

**Happy belated Harvest Festival, everyone! Sorry I couldn't update yesterday, but I didn't think of it. For all you Ga'Hoole fans, I also enjoy marking the owls' holidays. I decided to update my story sooner rather than later, so here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Guardians of Ga'Hoole.**

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><p>The flight back to the Great Tree was uneventful; Pelli and Bell were trying to ignore each other as much as possible. Sadly, this didn't go as well as they'd planned. They kept glancing at each other awkwardly, neither of them wanting to mention the failed mission.<p>

When they got back to the Great Tree, things seemed to go back to normal. Bell and Pelli forgave each other, and it seemed that all had been resolved. Unfortunately, thing definitely weren't resolved.

On Bell's eighth night back at the Great Tree, she noticed something different. There was a nagging voice inside her head, telling her to do things she shouldn't, and never would've even thought of before. Something in her had kept the voice at bay, but now, it broke lose, whirring non-stop inside her head.

It said, _Go ahead. Disobey your parents. We both know that they'll always treat you like a hatchling. You need to show them how mature you are. I'd suggest setting some eggs. You don't see owlets doing that, do you? Anyway, I know Shard wants an egg._

_First, eww! _Bell thought, appalled by the thought of setting an egg_. I don't want an egg, and neither does Shard!_

_We both know you want to start a family, _the voice prodded. _You can't hide anything from me. I know all our secrets._

_Our? _Bell thought. _What do you mean our?_

_I am you from another time, _the voice said. _We are one, and I know you better than you know yourelf. You want an egg, so have one!_

_I guess you're right, _Bell considered as the voice convinced her.

_You can do it! You're two years old!_

_Yeah, I am! _Bell agreed. _I'm not an owlet!_

_You're not an owlet! _the voice repeated. _You just have to prove it!  
><em>

Bell agreed with the voice. _Yes! I do have to prove it! I'll set an egg!_

Then, the voice went silent.

* * *

><p>One week later, Bell called an emergency meeting with only Bash and Blythe. It was held in the new private hollow that Bell and Shard shared.<p>

Once Bash and Blythe were there, Bell began, "My dear sisters, I have come to think that you should be the first to know that I think it's about time for me to start a family of my own. So, I've recently set some eggs." She beamed brighter than ever before.

Blythe grinned, but Bash's beak dropped open.

"What!" Bash cried. "Mum and Da will be furious!"

Bell shrugged. "Well, I know that they have to learn that I'm not an owlet any more; and this is the only way."

Blythe kept smiling. "Well, I think it's brilliant."

"Sure!" Bell nodded. She stood up to show them three, white, glistening eggs.

"Oh my Glaux!" squealed Blythe. "They're. So. CUTE!" She bent over and waved one talon at the eggs. "Hi, little guys! It's your Aunty Blythe!"

Bell stretched her wings. "It's been so long since I've been out for night flight. Blythe, could you watch the eggs while I'm gone?"

"I'm on it!" Blythe beamed, settling herself into Bell's nest.

Bash led Bell out of the hollow, then down to the dining hollow.

"How long's it been since you've had a good meal?" Bash asked.

"I dunno," Bell shrugged. "A while."

In the dining hollow, Bell and Bash sat down with Shard, Soren and Pelli. There was an awkward silence.

Pelli cleared her throat. "Um.. So, Bell. Where have you been for the past week?"

"I was sick." Bell shrugged her off.

Bash was shocked. Ball had lied to her own mother! She was eager to change the subject. "Well, Bell and I are going out for night flight now. See you later!"

Once she and Bell were out of earshot, she turned to her sister. "I can't believe you!" Bash cried. "You lied to Mum!"

"Eh?" Who cares?" Bell groaned. "She was really starting to frink me off."

Bash gasped. She was shocked by her sister's coarse vocabulary.

Bell carried on. She didn't care. "You coming?" She called back to Bash as she took off.

Bash noticed that Bell was flying very loudly, and her feathers looked almost… _tattered. _Bash scolded herself. _It must just be because Bell has been cooped up for so long. _She shrugged and carried on after her sister.

* * *

><p>When they arrived back at the Tree, Shard pulled Bash aside.<p>

"Have you noticed anything different about Bell lately?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. She flew really loudly and it almost looked like her feathers were tattered," Bash paused and thought for a second. "Her personality has changed a lot, too. She lied to our mum, and has developed a coarse vocabulary."

"Tell me about it!" Shard nodded. "She was really eager to lay the eggs. Before she seemed almost… _embarrassed_, even just to talk about that kind of stuff. Now, I sorta wish she still was." He shuddered. "You should've seen her. She just walked up to me, and was like, 'So, Shard, think it's about time I laid some eggs.' so I just nodded, then asked, 'Who's the father gonna be?' and she giggled and said, 'You, silly!'. At first, I thought she was joking, then she seemed serious. I was all, 'Bell. We're so young!' then she gets all sciencey and said, 'Barn Owls are fully matured at 18 moon cycles. I just stared at her."

Just then, Blythe flew in. "Hey , you'll never guess what I just found!" she cried. "Look at this!"

Bash and Shard leaned in. "Is this… a black feather?"

Blythe nodded. "I found it in Bell's nest.

Bash glanced at Shard. "Something is defiantly different about Bell."

Blythe continued, "I think we should tell Mum and Da. How about Shard'll volunteer to sit on the eggs, Bash'll go out flying with Bell again, and while you're gone, I'll tell Mum, and show her the eggs!"

"Oh, brilliant!" Shard exclaimed.

Blythe snapped her talons. "Places, every one!"

* * *

><p>"So, Bell," Bash suggested. "Why don't you come on a calming flight with me?"<p>

Bell wildly shook her head. "I need to stay with my eggs."

Bash walked over and grabbed her sister's wing. "Come on, Bell."

Bell ripped her wing away and hissed. She glared at Bash. "No!" she cried. Her voice sounded hoarse, and crackly. "Who'd want to fly over so much… _open water!"_ She shivered when she said the words 'open water'.

Just then, Shard walked in, right on cue. When his eyes fell onto Bell, he screamed. "Aaah! You look terri-"

Bash glared at him. Shard continued, "Good. Looking good, actually. If I'm honest."

But the _last _thing he was being was honest. Bell's feathers were dirty and tattered. One of her eyes was turning yellow, and the other was developing a squint. Her size had been increasing. Two horrifying little tufts had sprouted on top of her head. Shard shuddered.

"So, we're off with the plan, right?" Shard guessed.

"Big time," Bash replied.

"What plan?" Bell demanded. "The plan to _drown me?" _

"No… no, Bell, you misunderstood." Bash tried to calm her down.

"Then what's the plan!" Bell snapped.

Bash avoided eye contact. She couldn't tell Bell the plan, but she didn't want to lie to her sister! "Uh…"

Before she could say another thing, Blythe entered with Pelli.

"…And she has eggs!" Blythe was saying.

Pelli just stared at the creature that everyone said was Bell. "Uh, Bell…" she nervously said. "Is something wrong?"

Bell completely ignored her mum's question, and demanded, "Why'd you blab on me?"

"It was for your own good!" Blythe humphed.

"Well, sprink on you!" Bell snapped.

Pelli gasped. "Belletha Margery Rose Alba! Did you just say the 'S' word?"

Bell shrugged. "I guess. But it's only because I'm the only one in this sprinkin' world that isn't stark raving YOICKS!"

When Bell stood up for emphasis, Pelli noticed the eggs that she'd been sitting on.

"Great Glaux!" Pelli gasped. "Um… Bell, could I have a word with your sisters?"

Bell ignored her question and sat back down on her eggs. Pelli pulled the rest of them out.

"So, what else has changed in her?" Pelli asked.

"Well," Bash began, "Her feathers are becoming darker and shaggier, she's getting bigger, one eye is turning yellow, she's been really mad recently, she now loves to swear, and now she's afraid to fly over open water. Plus, she only laid the eggs to prove to you that she's not an owlet."

Pelli gasped. "When did she start acting like this?"

Blythe shrugged. "About fifteen nights ago."

"That's just after we got back from the Northern Kingdoms!" Pelli exclaimed. "And I did think that I saw a hagsfiend. Perhaps he's the one who did this!"

Shard just stared at her. "Uh, Pelli, what would a hagsfiends have to do with this?"

Pelli rolled her eyes. "Oh, for Glaux's sake. I think Bell's becoming a hagsfiend!"

There was an awkward silence, then the three younger owls burst out churring. "A hagsfiend?" Shard churred. "How would Bell become a hagsfiend.?"

"They had the Book of Kreeth!" Pelli cried. "And she has all the signs; black feathers, ear tufts, yellow eyes, fear of water and impressive size."

The three owlets pondered this for a moment. "I guess you're right." Shard said. "But that means that... my mate is a hagsfiend!"


	4. Hagsfiends!

"That charm worked most well." Raegan said, while admiring her new black self in a piece of _issen vintygg. _The rest of the newly-made hagsfiends were off trying out their new skills, but Raegan

Neila raised a talon. "If it worked so well, why are some of us still normal?"

Raegan bristled with anger. "I have another job for 'some of you,' but I have a different plan for you. Say, Neila. When was the last time you had a vision?"

Neila closed her eyes. "The Great Tree is fretting over something." She opened her eyes. "There. Now can I be a hagsfiend?"

Raegan thought for a second. "Hmmm… no. I have three reasons. 1, I need you to lead an all-owl mission, 2, you might lose your powers, and 3, we already have enough hagsfiends!"

Neila wilfed. "Sorry, Raegan." She regained some of her confidence. "Well, what is this miss-"

"Of course!" Raegan interrupted. "What did you say about the Great Tree?'

Neila rolled her eyes. Raegan snapped, "Tell me!"

Neila wilfed, but began, "Uh, the entire Great Ga'Hoole Tree is all mixed up because… because one of the owls is turning into a hagsfiend."

Raegan burst out churring. "Oh, that's hilarious!" Suddenly, she wiped the smile from her face. "Which owl?"

Neila closed her eyes. "Um… it's Bell, the same owl that we captured six moon cycles ago."

Raegan narrowed her eyes. "So she survived…"

Neila cleared her throat. Raegan turned back to her. "What?"

Neila gulped. "Can I ask a question?"

"You just did." Raegan snapped.

"No, another one." Neila suggested.

Raegan sighed. "Fine."

Neila began, "A little while ago you mentioned that you wanted me to lead an all-owl mission. Er… what _is _the mission?"

"Oh," Raegan smirked. "I think you should know. Six moon cycles ago, Bell gave me some valuable information. She told me that to retrieve the ember, you must be a skilled collier. Phase One of the mission involves returning to the Glauxian Brothers retreat, and stealing books on colliering. Once you are skilled colliers, all the owls, led by you, will go to Beyond the Beyond. You will _not _return until you have the ember."

Neila gulped. "Ok."

When Raegan had said, "Do not return," her eyes had glowed yellow. This had made Neila wilf to nearly half her size.

She straitened up. "Yes ma'am. I'll set out right away."

* * *

><p>"See?" Pelli said. "She looks terrible." She and Otulissa were spying on Bell through a sky port.<p>

"I know…" Otulissa fretted. "I think you're right. She does appear to be _very _haggish."

Bell's once-beautiful white face was splotchy and dark. Her feathers were extremely ragged and pure black. Both eyes were yellow now, and she was nearly a full-blown hagsfiend. She didn't seem to notice that she'd changed, and someone had to tell her.

Otulissa flew down and began, "Bell, dear, um… I think you might be becoming a hagsfiend"

Bell looked down at her pure-black chest. "You're right," she said quietly, then continued louder, "And I _love it!"_

Otulissa was taken aback. She thought that telling Bell would've snapped her out of it, but it just made it work more. Pelli and Otulissa watched in horror as the final transformation took place. Bell nearly doubled in size, then, she was a complete hagsfiend.

"Behold!" she cried. "I have been re-born! No one can stop me! The reign of Bell has begun!"

* * *

><p>Neila crept along the wall of the Glauxian Brothers retreat. She peeked around the corner. There was one guard, but he was asleep. Neila motioned for three hagsfiends to come over. They charged in. The guard didn't even see what hit him. The hagsfiends were in and out with the books in fifteen seconds flat.<p>

Neila's beak dropped open when they'd returned. "How'd you do it so fast?"

One hagsfiend, Estrella, shrugged. "I dunno. Let's just get these back to Raegan."

Then they took off, streaming against the sky. Neila tried to keep up, but the hagsfiends flew faster than any owl that she'd seen before. She still wished that she could've been a hagsfiend. The only ones that were still owls were her, Slatka, Quynter, Parvi, and Carmen._ Well, at least Quynter is still an owl. _she thought. Neila had a little crush in him. But she had to return quickly, or Raegan would be mad, so she followed along.

* * *

><p>"So, they teach you in the Beyond?" Raegan inquired.<p>

Neila had been reading, '_Colliering: A New Skill_' to Raegan, and it said that the best places to learn was at the Great Tree or on in Beyond the Beyond.

"This works perfectly!" Raegan cheered. "Neila, you can lead the owls out to the Beyond, learn how to be a collier, get the ember and come back!"

Neila flipped through the book. It had everything on colliering, even some about embers. On page 14, a subtitle jumped out at her.

"Hey, Raegan!" She called. "Get this!" Neila cleared her throat and began to read, "_The Ember of Hoole: An ember possessing amazing powers. The owl who retrieves the ember instantly becomes the new monarch of Ga'Hoole. Thus, the recent King and Queen die_." Neila finished reading and put down the book. Raegan smirk began to grow.

"Could this be any more perfect?" Raegan asked. "Now we'll get the ember _and_ get rid of the brat's parents for good."

Neila nervously nodded. There _was _more, but she was afraid that Raegan would be mad.

"Um…" She began, picking up the book again. "There's more. It says, _Once, many years ago, an owl retrieved the ember, but this owl was evil. The monarchs of the Tree survived, but the evil owl, whose name was Ilene, tried to use the ember for evil. Eventually, it destroyed her, and the ember was returned to the volcanoes of the Sacred Ring. Also, it is a thought that an owl who has no interest in becoming King can also retrieve the ember without harming the present monarchs. This is only a theory; it has never been proven. The ember will only surface when a true king or queen is near, so that is why he who retrieves it should be the next monarch of the Tree_."

Raegan practically exploded. "Why'd ya have to read _that!" _she screeched. "42 seconds ago, everything was perfect, but you had to go and ruin it." Carmen flew in. Raegan turned on her with rage. "This is your fault, too!" she cried. An eerie yellow light began to flow from Raegan's eyes. It engulfed Carmen; seeped into her. She collapsed in the ground and started shaking violently. Then, suddenly, she stood up; like nothing had happened. She walked around robotically. "Ooh," Raegan smirked. "That felt good. I've always wanted to try that."

"Um…" Neila wondered aloud, "Try what?"

"Fyngrot, for sprink's sake!" Raegan exclaimed. "I'm in complete control of Carmen."

Again, Neila's beak dropped open. She was amazed at all the cool things a hagsfiend could do. The one letdown was that they stank like crows. At first, the crow stench was so strong, it'd made Neila want to yap; but eventually, she got used to it. Also, in a lot if the books, it had claimed that hagsfiend were _supposed _to be afraid of salt water, but no one had shown any signs of that.

Neila churred to herself. _Oh, _she thought. _Raegan doesn't know what she's getting herself into…_

* * *

><p>"Lemme out!" Bell shrieked as she pounded the door. They'd locked her in her hollow to keep the rest of the Tree from knowing. Obviously, she didn't like it.<p>

Suddenly, something burst through the door. It was Bell! For a second, Shard was transfixed. She was a surprisingly good looking fiend. Her blue-black feathers shone on the moonlight and seeped off her body; looking like black fire.

Then, Shard was shaken out of the trance by Bell screaming. "I must rule the Tree!" she cried. "And I'll kill anyone who stands in my way!"

Bash and Blythe wilfed, but Pelli stepped up. "Bell," she steadily said. "You don't want to do this. You'll be hurting people you love."

When Pelli said 'love', all the memories and the happy times came back to her. Playing with her sisters, singing with Blythe, eggsitting for Otulissa, the first time she met Shard. She _almost _regained control of herself, but the hagsfiend pushed it's way through again.

"I don't care," she snarled. "I'll kill every owl in this Glaux sprinked Tree!"

"Don't do this, Bell" Pelli calmly said. "I know deep down you're still good. There are families in here; owlets, eggs! Do you want to kill owlets?"

"You don't want that kind of blood in your talons." Shard added.

"It's time to wake up, Bell." Pelli said. "You're allowing the hagsfiend to control you."

"No, _you _need to wake up." Bell snapped. "This is what I am now. Get used to it."

"Bell, you can control the hagsfiend. You're letting it get too powerful," Pelli replied.

"I deserve to rule this Tree more than anyone else here," Bell spat. "Not you, not Da, only me! I'll take the Tree by force if you don't give it to me!"

Pelli looked at Bell in disgust. "Alright then, Bell. We'll leave you to it."

Bell burst out of the top of the Tree, and cried, "I'm the queen of the Tree!"

She shot her fyngrot into the sky. The beams of yellow glowed on forever, as a constant reminder that Bell was in charge.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about taking so long to update, I'll work on it!<br>**


	5. Recrutement

"That's it!" Alecksa called as Neila flew down with a coal clutched in her beak. "You're getting the hang of it."

Neila dropped the coal into the bucket that Alecksa had supplied. It landed beside the four others that Neila had caught. She'd developed quite a skill for colliering. Alecksa had said that she was a natural.

"That's five coals." Alecksa counted. "Time to bring them to a Rogue smith. You know we can't do much with 'em ourselves."

Neila gave her mentor a curt nod, then picked up the bucket and flew towards a column of smoke. She spiraled down, and found a forge beside some small rocks. A masked owl stood at the forge. Neila could tell that the masked owl didn't want to be bothered, so she out the bucket down and turned to leave. When she was one step away from the exit, she stepped on a twig. She cringed as it snapped. The masked owl turned around. She narrowed her eyes. "Do I know you"

Neila shook her head. "No. I'm Neila, and I'm just delivering some coals." She pointed one talon at the bucket that sat near the exit.

"Oh," The masked owl's expression softened. "Thank you. I'm Gwynneth. You're new around here, aren't you?"

Neila nodded. "Yeah. I just arrived a few nights ago."

"Lemme guess," Gwynneth began. "You're training to be a collier. Am I right?"

Neila's beak dropped open. "That's right! Alecksa took me in as her apprentice."

Gwynneth's eyes widened. "Really? Alecksa was always a loner. Never talked to anyone. No one knows why." she shuddered. "Creepy."

Neila glared at her. "Alecksa is not creepy! She might just be a loner because everyone avoids her!"

Gwynneth wilfed. "Ok, ok. She's not _that _creepy. Well, thanks for the coals. See you later."

Gwynneth turned back to her forge. Neila turned to leave, but stepped over the twig this time. She didn't want to disturb Gwynneth any more than she already had. She flew off to find Alecksa. Neila had to know more about her past!

* * *

><p>Soren looked blankly down at the vole in front of him. Although his stomach was aching for food, how could her eat when his little Bell was a hagsfiend? He mindlessly shoved the vole towards Gylfie, muttering, "I'm not hungry."<p>

Gylfie gazed up at her friend. "Oh, Soren," she sighed. "I know you miss your daughter, but you still have to eat!" She pushed the vole back to him. "You're still king, remember? It's your job to protect the Tree."

Soren groaned. "I know! It's just really hard with all these hagsfiends around. I have to protect everyone. If they attack the Tree – which I'm sure they will – Pelli will be in danger!" He looked down at his talons.

Suddenly, the usual Snowy messenger, Awnyx, flew up. "Sir!" he cried. "The hagsfiends are coming! They mean to force all the owls out of the Tree, and take it by force!"

"I knew it," Soren said miserably. "That's it, I can't stand to see anymore of my loved ones turned into horrifying monsters. I'm sending them out to the Beyond. Pelli, and Bash, and Blythe."

"What about Shard?" Gylfie asked. "Technically, he's part of your family. Shouldn't you protect him too?"

Soren glared at her. "Listen, I never wanted him as part of my family, it was all on Bell. But, I guess I'll send him out too."

Gylfie smiled up at her friend. "I'm proud of you, Soren."

* * *

><p>As the hagsfiends prepared for war, Raegan plotted her in hollow. A more in depth plan was formed in her mind. She was a very intelligent owl, indeed.<p>

_After the battle, the rest of the hagsfiends will go to Beyond the Beyond, _Raegan thought._ There, the owls will have the ember. Then, they'll be my newest test subjects. I can experiment on them for the rest of their lives. That gives me at least another good 8 years of testing. The only thing is, I mustn't let them know about this. any of them. Those frinkin' hagsfiends must go, too. They make good slaves, but I fear that they'll become to smart and realized that the can make their own decisions.I must keep them ignorant; pretend that everything is fine until the last minute. I must use their strength while I can. It is time to take the Great Tree!  
><em>

She then called a meeting to discuss battle tactics. Every hagsfiend came, except for the broodies. The latter were always in the nursery, caring for their eggs and fiendlings.

"Friends, family, fellow hagsfiends," Raegan began. "The time has come. Tomorrow night, we will launch an attack on the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. At first, the surrounding salt water will seem unbearable, but you'll get used to it. I know what you're all thinking, why go through all this trouble to capture the Great Tree? Well, I'll tell you. First,we need a new base. As you can no doubt see, the ice here is rotting. It won't last much longer. Second, the Guardians are the only real threat to us. When we take their precious Tree, they'll have no place to go, and that will distract them. Third, we need a lair in the Southern Kingdoms. They have everything there. After we have the Great Tree, we will proceed to Beyond the Beyond, where the owls will be waiting with the Ember of Hoole. We'll take it back to the Great Tree, where I'll use it for my experiments. Is that clear?"

No one spoke. Raegan took this as a yes. She grinned. "Good. We leave at dark!" She then flew out, with her procession of hagsfiends following along.

As soon as Bell was out of Raegan's earshot, she cheered. All the hagsfiends stared at her. She noticed their bewildered expressions, and instantly straitened up. "Oh, it's just that I've been itching to get back to the Great Tree. I have to get my mate and eggs!"

Half the hagsfiends rolled their yellow eyes, the carried on. One hagsfiend, the one Bell recognized as Bryony, stopped to talk at Bell.

"Look, I feel your pain, babe." Bryony said. "I used to be a super egg-aholic too, babe. I'd suggest using this." She held up a sprig of leaves.

Bell nervously picked it up. "Uh… thanks. I guess. Um… what is it?"

"Oh, babe!" Bryony churred. "It's just a spice that helps control those motherly instincts. I chose to take it, babe, and so did most of the others. There are still a few, babe. If you want, you can join them. Some were assigned, others chose."

Bell nodded and gave the plant back to Bryony. "I think I'll pass. I enjoy being a mother. Everyone respects you!"

Bryony smiled. "Uh… sure thing, babe." She then turned and flew off at top speed.

Bell shrugged and carried on. She didn't care. The only thing she could think about was getting revenge on the Great Tree. She went back to her hollow with thoughts of revenge dancing through her head. That say, she slept soundly, for the next night, she'd go to war.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was Chapter 6. Sorry it takes so long between updates. Sometimes I forget about my fanfics, but I'll try and remember.<strong>

**As some of you may have noticed, I mentioned Gwynneth, the Masked Owl from the Wolves of Beyond series. DISCLAIMER: I do not own her!**

**Anyway, I'll try and update with the battle scene soon. Don't forget to leave a review!  
><strong>


	6. The Time has Come

"That's it!" Alecksa called as Neila flew down with a coal clutched in her beak. "You're getting the hang of it."

Neila dropped the coal into the bucket that Alecksa had supplied. It landed beside the four others that Neila had caught. She'd developed quite a skill for colliering. Alecksa had said that she was a natural.

"That's five coals." Alecksa counted. "Time to bring them to a Rogue smith. You know we can't do much with 'em ourselves."

Neila gave her mentor a curt nod, then picked up the bucket and flew towards a column of smoke. She spiraled down, and found a forge beside some small rocks. A masked owl stood at the forge. Neila could tell that the masked owl didn't want to be bothered, so she out the bucket down and turned to leave. When she was one step away from the exit, she stepped on a twig. She cringed as it snapped. The masked owl turned around. She narrowed her eyes. "Do I know you"

Neila shook her head. "No. I'm Neila, and I'm just delivering some coals." She pointed one talon at the bucket that sat near the exit.

"Oh," The masked owl's expression softened. "Thank you. I'm Gwynneth. You're new around here, aren't you?"

Neila nodded. "Yeah. I just arrived a few nights ago."

"Lemme guess," Gwynneth began. "You're training to be a collier. Am I right?"

Neila's beak dropped open. "That's right! Alecksa took me in as her apprentice."

Gwynneth's eyes widened. "Really? Alecksa was always a loner. Never talked to anyone. No one knows why." she shuddered. "Creepy."

Neila glared at her. "Alecksa is not creepy! She might just be a loner because everyone avoids her!"

Gwynneth wilfed. "Ok, ok. She's not _that _creepy. Well, thanks for the coals. See you later."

Gwynneth turned back to her forge. Neila turned to leave, but stepped over the twig this time. She didn't want to disturb Gwynneth any more than she already had. She flew off to find Alecksa. Neila had to know more about her past!

* * *

><p>As the hagsfiends prepared for war, Raegan plotted her in hollow. A more in depth plan was formed in her mind. She was a very intelligent owl, indeed.<p>

_After the battle, the rest of the hagsfiends will go to Beyond the Beyond, _Raegan thought._ There, the owls will have the ember. Then, they'll be my newest test subjects. I can experiment on them for the rest of their lives. That gives me at least another good 8 years of testing. The only thing is, I mustn't let them know about this. any of them. Those frinkin' hagsfiends must go, too. They make good slaves, but I fear that they'll become to smart and realized that the can make their own decisions.I must keep them ignorant; pretend that everything is fine until the last minute. I must use their strength while I can. It is time to take the Great Tree!  
><em>

She then called a meeting to discuss battle tactics. Every hagsfiend came, except for the broodies. The latter were always in the nursery, caring for their eggs and fiendlings.

"Friends, family, fellow hagsfiends," Raegan began. "The time has come. Tomorrow night, we will launch an attack on the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. At first, the surrounding salt water will seem unbearable, but you'll get used to it. I know what you're all thinking, why go through all this trouble to capture the Great Tree? Well, I'll tell you. First,we need a new base. As you can no doubt see, the ice here is rotting. It won't last much longer. Second, the Guardians are the only real threat to us. When we take their precious Tree, they'll have no place to go, and that will distract them. Third, we need a lair in the Southern Kingdoms. They have everything there. After we have the Great Tree, we will proceed to Beyond the Beyond, where the owls will be waiting with the Ember of Hoole. We'll take it back to the Great Tree, where I'll use it for my experiments. Is that clear?"

No one spoke. Raegan took this as a yes. She grinned. "Good. We leave at dark!" She then flew out, with her procession of hagsfiends following along.

As soon as Bell was out of Raegan's earshot, she cheered. All the hagsfiends stared at her. She noticed their bewildered expressions, and instantly straitened up. "Oh, it's just that I've been itching to get back to the Great Tree. I have to get my mate and eggs!"

Half the hagsfiends rolled their yellow eyes, the carried on. One hagsfiend, the one Bell recognized as Bryony, stopped to talk at Bell.

"Look, I feel your pain, babe." Bryony said. "I used to be a super egg-aholic too, babe. I'd suggest using this." She held up a sprig of leaves.

Bell nervously picked it up. "Uh… thanks. I guess. Um… what is it?"

"Oh, babe!" Bryony churred. "It's just a spice that helps control those motherly instincts. I chose to take it, babe, and so did most of the others. There are still a few, babe. If you want, you can join them. Some were assigned, others chose."

Bell nodded and gave the plant back to Bryony. "I think I'll pass. I enjoy being a mother. Everyone respects you!"

Bryony smiled. "Uh… sure thing, babe." She then turned and flew off at top speed.

Bell shrugged and carried on. She didn't care. The only thing she could think about was getting revenge on the Great Tree. She went back to her hollow with thoughts of revenge dancing through her head. That say, she slept soundly, for the next night, she'd go to war.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was Chapter 6. Sorry it takes so long between updates. Sometimes I forget about my fanfics, but I'll try and remember.<strong>

**As some of you may have noticed, I mentioned Gwynneth, the Masked Owl from the Wolves of Beyond series. DISCLAIMER: I do not own her!**

**Anyway, I'll try and update with the battle scene soon. Don't forget to leave a review!  
><strong>


	7. The Rescue

The next night, as the moon began to rise, the hagsfiends began their journey to the Southern Kingdoms. As they flew on, the Guardians prepared for battle. They'd gone word that hagsfiends were coming, so they were ready.

Scouts were pasted all over the coast, ready to warn the others the second they saw the hagsfiends. Unfortunately, the hagsfiends had suspected this and sent out scouts of their own to disable the Guardians'.

When the hagsfiends arrived, they had the element of surprise. They stormed the Tree, rushing in any hollow possible. A battle broke out, the Guardians on the defense. Bell fought as viciously as she attacked every owl in sight. She didn't recognized any of them; the hagsfiend was in complete control. That was, until she attacked Eglantine. When she saw her aunt's terrified face, the _real _Bell broke through.

Her head began to spin. What should she do? The hagsfiend told her to kill her aunt, but she knew it was wrong. She mentally battled the hagsfiend inside her head. She just kept the picture of Eglantine's terrified face in her head. Finally, she managed to defeat the hagsfiend. Suddenly, everything started spinning much worse than before.

All the owls _and _hagsfiends stared as beams of golden light burst from Bell's body. She dwindled in size, moulting all her black feathers. In a matter of seconds, Bell was an owl again.

Her limp body began to tumble towards the ocean. Eglantine dove down and caught Bell. She cradled her niece gently in her talons. She carried Bell back to the Tree and set her down.

"It's gonna be alright," Eglantine cooed. She gently dropped Bell in a hollow, then flew back out into the battle.

Once Eglantine was back outside, it had seem that the hagsfiends had gained the upper hand. Eglantine noticed many owls falling. She flew up to Soren.

"Soren!" she cried. "We can't win this battle. It's time to give up! Now, before more innocent owls get hurt!"

Raegan flew down, smirking. "This owl is smart!" She called, pointing to Eglantine. "She knows how weak owls really are!" Raegan started cackling.

Eglantine decided to use this to her advantage. She rammed into Raegan, sending the both of them flying off in different directions.

"Fyngrot!" Raegan ordered, still flying backwards. "Use your fyngrot!"

Each hagsfiend turned towards the Tree. Yellow beams flowed from each hagsfiend's eyes. All the owls were caught in the glare. Some owls plummeted instantly, others resisted for a few seconds. Soon all the owls were falling, all except for Eglantine. Some how, she'd been able to make her way out of the fyngrot dome that encircled the Great Tree. The second the was clear, she bolted off in the direction of the Beyond.

"That's right, fly away!" Raegan cried, then she and the hagsfiends began closing in on the Tree.

The last thing all the owls remembered was the intense yellow glare fading then they all blacked out.

* * *

><p>"Alecksa!" Neila called as she flew back into Alecksa's hollow. "I just caught three more bonk coals!" Then, she noticed that Alecksa was talking to a Barn Owl that looked strangely familiar. Neila walked up to her. "Do I know you?"<p>

Pelli, the Barn Owl, shook her head. "No. But you might know my daughter, Bell."

Neila jumped back. "Oh, you're Bell's mum! _That's _why you look so familiar."

"Of course you know Bell…_ because it was your idea to kidnap her!" _Pelli accused.

"Whoa, slow down," Neila said. "I used to be with _those_ owls, but I'm not anymore."

Pelli narrowed her eyes. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Neila looked at her talons. "Well, um… er…" Suddenly, she started sobbing. "You right! I lied. We're only in Beyond the Beyond because Raegan ordered us to!"

Pelli put a wing around Neila's body, which was heaving with sobs. "It's ok," she cooed. "You can tell me."

"Alright," Neila sniffed. "So, it all started a while back when we stole the Book of Kreeth. Raegan was intrigued by it; and tried out many of the experiments. One of them was how to transform owls into hagsfiends. Because a lot of the experiments involved to Ember of Hoole, Raegan sent me and the rest of the normal owlets the Beyond so we could be colliers. She told us to get the ember, but I don't think we'll ever get it. Plus, I don't even want to work for her anymore. In one of my visions, I saw that she was going to use us all as test subjects. I have to work for her; if I don't she'll use her fyngrot on me!" When Neila was done her story, she started crying again.

Alecksa had been listening the whole time and now walked over. "So, all those things you told me were lies?"

Neila bobbed her head, then looked up at Alecksa. "Now that you know my story, can I know yours?"

"Well…" Alecksa thought for a second. "Alright. Secretly, I'm-"

Before she cold finish her thought, Eglantine flew in, out of breath. "Hagsfiends have taken… the Tree!" she panted.

Pelli's beak dropped open."What?" she exclaimed. "How?"

Before Eglantine could answer, Alecksa interrupted. "You should go," she told Pelli. "Just to see what really happened."

"Alright," Pelli agreed. "Eglantine, can you come with me?"

Eglantine checked herself over. Her feathers were bloodied and she was exhausted. "I'd rather stay here," she suggested.

Pelli nodded. "You're right. Rest up, I'll be back as soon as possible."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at the Great Tree, the hagsfiends had herded all the owls in cages. Families had been separated; owlets were terrified and in their own.<p>

Bell, who was still unconscious, had been thrown into a random cage. Luckily, Otulissa and her youngest chick, Raissa, were in the same cage as Bell. Otulissa had pulled Bell's limp bode over to where she and Raissa sat.

"Mummy, is she gonna be ok?" Raissa asked. She was still very young, and she was terrified to death. She hated the idea that hagsfiends were taking over the Tree. Still, she wanted the best for any of her mum's friends.

Otulissa shrugged. "Only Glaux knows. I wish Cleve was here; and all your siblings," she told her chick. "I just hope everything will turn out fine."

Outside, Pelli watched from afar. It hadn't taken her very long to get to the Tree. She'd been flying at top speed. The Great Tree was surrounded by hagsfiends. She dared to fly closer, but she was shocked at what she saw. Every owl was in a cage. Her eyes then fell on the cage with Bell in it. Pelli's eyes grew wide with fear and disbelief. She ignored the hagsfiends and flew down to the cage. "Bell!" she cried. Otulissa ran over, pulling Bell along. "Oh, Bell…" Pelli cried. She reached through the bars and gingerly preened Bell's head feathers. "At least she's an owl again."

Otulissa nodded solely. "I hope someone's taking care of her eggs."

Pelli motioned for Otulissa to come closer. "Look, we've all come to Beyond the Beyond. If anyone manages to escape, go there."

Raissa nervously cleared her throat. "Mummy," she quietly said. "I can fit through the bars." They both watched as the tiny owlet slipped out of the cage.

"Good job, Raissa." Otulissa praised, "Now, go with Aunty Pelli to the Beyond. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Pelli picked up Raissa. "Look, Otulissa, I can probably take some more owlets. Do you want me to try and find the rest of your owlets?"

Otulissa beak dropped open. "You'd do that for me?"

Pelli churred. "Well, you're the one watching my daughter. Anyway, I'd be glad to rescue some owlets. It's no trouble."

"Aw, thanks Pelli!" Otulissa grinned. "You're a life saver!"

"Remember," Pelli added "Tell everyone to go to Beyond the Beyond."

Otulissa nodded. "I will."

Pelli then went from cage to cage, telling every owl the plan. She collected many owlets, and put them in a basket that she'd found. Also, many small owls came out, too.

When Pelli came to the last one, she overheard Raegan plotting in the next hollow. Pelli pressed her ear slit against the wall.

Raegan was saying to herself, "Yes. Yes, that's it. I'll use all the owls for experiments, and the hagsfiends'll be my slaves. That should work. They'll all have to be my slaves for the rest of their lives!" She then started cackling.

Suddenly, Pelli felt a tap on her shoulder. She trued around and saw Soren, standing in the cage next to her. She beamed at her mate.

"Bell's back to normal." Pelli told him.

"That's great!" Soren exclaimed. "I've got her eggs right here." He stood up to reveal Bell's three eggs.

"I can take them," Pelli said, placing the three eggs into a basket. "Everyone's going to Beyond the Beyond, and right now I'm taking owlets and eggs to the Beyond." She held up the basket. Soren smiled, then bid her farewell.

* * *

><p>When Pelli made it back to the Beyond, Neila had assembled all the moon-faced owls, Blythe, Bash and Shard. "Neila!" Pelli cried. "You're right! I overheard Raegan, and she <em>was <em>planning to use you owls for experiments!"

Neila gasped. "I knew it! Then that makes it final. We _all _quit! Well, there is one thing. Can we come and live at the Great Tree if- i mean _when _we get it back?"

"Of course, dear!" Pelli exclaimed. "We'll always have room for a few more. Now, it we're going to win this battle, we'll need to get the hagsfiends on our side. I also overheard Raegan talking about talking about the hagsfiends all being her slaves. If we tell them that, my guess is that won't like it. Once the hagsfiends are on our side, we can launch an attack on Raegan. As we're doing that, we'll set the other owls free. They all know to come to Beyond the Beyond, so if we chase Raegan there, she'll think everyone is chasing her. We'll corner her then-"

"Throw her in the volcano!" Neila cried. All the moon-faced owls cheered.

"Then it's settled." Pelli agreed. "We'll set out at First Black. Good light, everybody! Good light!"

* * *

><p>That day, at the Great Tree, all was silent, though no one slept. The hagsfiends kept patrolling all day, and the owls were too afraid to fall asleep. Otulissa stood by Bell's body the whole time.<p>

Suddenly, Bell moaned. Otulissa put her down, and stood back. Bell's eye lids fluttered, then her eyes fully opened. She got up and rubbed her head.

"Oooh, my head…" she groaned. "What- what happened? Where am I?"

"You're back at the Great Tree." Otulissa explained.

"Really?" Bell asked. "What makes it so great?"

Otulissa churred, "Oh, don't be silly. You know it's because it's so big."

Bell looked up. "You're right. Is is on the bigger side. Do you live here?"

Again, Otulissa churred. "Bell, _you _live here. Of course _I _do!"

Bell smiled and nodded her head, then asked, "Who's Bell?"

Now, Otulissa's beak dropped open in disbelief. She churred nervously. "Uh… Bell, _you're _Bell."

"No, I'm not." Bell said surly. "I can't be. It's because I'm… uh, I'm-" She scratched her head.

"You're Bell. "Otulissa replied calmly.

"No!" Bell exclaimed. "I know this! Aw… I'm- " She growled, the sighed. "I _don't _know! Like, I know how to fly, but I don't know my own name!"

"Bell, calm down," Otulissa reassured. "It's all going to be ok. Do you remember who I am?"

Bell scratched her head again. "Uh… nope! Never seen you before in my life!"

Otulissa's eyes widened in shock. "Bell, do you remember anything? Your parents? Your home? You mate?"

"I have a mate?" Bell asked.

"Yes!" Otulissa's eyes just keep t getting wider and wider. "Don't you remember him?"

Bell thought for a second. "Hmm… I want to say Larry…"

"Shard!" Otulissa exclaimed.

"A shard of what?"

"No, your mate's _name _is Shard!"

"Oh, you mean Larry."

"No, Shard!" Otulissa cried. "Oh, good Glaux! I think Bell has amnesia!"


	8. The King & Epilogue

The next night, at First Black, Pelli had gathered all the owls of the Beyond. She looked over the crowd of Rogue smiths, colliers and moon-faced owls, all armed for a fight to the death. Pelli took a deep breath, then began, "Tonight, we will fight for the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Those hagsfiends have taken the Tree to strike fear into our gizzards; to show us that they can do what ever they want, But we have to show them. We'll fly out on the wind. We'll battle them, not only to get back our home, but as a symbol of the Guardian strength. And to tell them that they cannot do whatever they want. Because this- this is our land!"

The whole crowd cheered, then took off, following behind Pelli. Once the Great Tree came into sight, Pelli took the lead. "Attention, hagsfiends!" she cried. "I don't think Raegan will be too happy when she seed that you've let all of us escape!" Blinded by fury, the hagsfiends mistook the owls fro the Guardians; and charged at Pelli.

"Wait!"she called. "I'm not your enemy. They enemy is down there," She pointed down at Raegan's hollow. "I think that you'd be rather interested to know that Raegan thinks of you as her slaves!"

"Hey, we ain't slaves!" Neila recognized the voice as Ingrid's.

"I know!" Estrella agreed.

"Babe, I don't think that Raegan's the sort of babe we want to be hangin' with," Bryony added.

Soon, all the hagsfiends had agreed that they didn't want to work for Raegan anyone. "Hey, you guys could be the first-ever hagsfiend Guardians!" Pelli suggested. All the hagsfiends seemed to like that idea. "So," Pelli clarified. "You're all good now? You'll be faithful to the Guardians? _Not _that traitor Raegan?"

"Yes!" All the hagsfiends chorused.

"Good!" Pelli exclaimed. "So, let's go free our fellow Guardians!"

Now, all the hagsfiends charged down and ripped open the cages. At that exact moment, Raegan flew out with Neila in hot pursuit. All the owls of Ga'Hoole flew out of their cages and began to fly towards Beyond the Beyond. So far, the plan was going perfectly. Raegan had thought that the mob of owls was following her!

Pelli flew higher until she spotted Bell. She flew down and fell into flight alongside her daughter. "Hi, Bell!" Pelli exclaimed. "I'm do glad to see you flying again."

Bell just stared at Pelli. "And you are?"

Pelli churred. "Hey, Bell, don't be funny."

Bell shook her head. "I'm not being funny. I seriously have no idea who you are."

"I'm Pelli," Pelli explained.

Bell's expression was blank.

"Pellimore?"

Nothing.

Pelli sighed. "I'm your mum, for Glaux's sake!"

Bell shrugged. "That spotted owl told me I have amnesia," She pointed down to Otulissa.

Pelli flew down into Otulissa's wake. "Do you really think so?"

Otulissa nodded solely. "When Bell woke up, she was just like this. Didn't have a clue who I was. I thought that she'd remember you of all owls, but she seems the same." Otulissa slowly shook her head, "I hope that she'll get her memory back, At least she remembers how to fly. It's just the personal things."

Bell herself was happy as a clam. At first, she felt bad about forgetting everything. Then, she just decided to go with it. She had no idea who Raegan was or where the Beyond was, but she just followed along.

When the Beyond came into sight, Shard flew up to the front of the pack. He flew alongside Raegan, who was exhausted. "Hello, mum," he said. "I think you should know that I've taken Bell as a mate. We have three eggs and are _very _happy together."

"You haggard!" she snarled. "I'll teach you to take such a filthy pile of racdrops as a mate!" She lashed out at Shard, but he dodged and flew back. Raegan then noticed the flaming volcano in front of her. She wheeled around and dodged the fire.

Shard now flew up from behind and scratched one of her wings. All the owls chanted, "Finish her!" as a show of support.

As Shard prepared for the final strike, something caught his eye. An ember, tinged with a lick of blue and ringed with green in the centre, suddenly appeared in the mouth of the volcano. Shard was not a collier, but something in his gizzard told him to get the ember before Raegan saw it. He shoved her out of the way and dove towards the ember. All the owls watched in shock as Shard grew nearer and nearer to the molten lava. He'd never so much as touched a coal before, and now he seemed like he'd been colliering his entire life. Raegan took this distraction as a chance to escape, but everyone's eyes were on Shard. Time seemed to slow down as he arrived at the of the volcano. Shard wasn't even aware of what he was doing. Before he knew it, Shard flew down and landed in front of all the owls, with the Ember of Hoole clutched in his beak.

At first, everything was silent, then a cheer erupted from the crowd. Bell ran forward to see what all the fuss was about. When she saw Shard's face illuminated by the green glow from the ember, all her memories came flooding back. "Shard!" she cried. She flew up to him. "I'm so proud that my mate was the one who caught the Ember of Hoole!" Suddenly, she turned serious. "Will this mean that Mum and Da are dead?"

"Nope!" Soren said, flying up to Bell and wrapping his wing around her.

"Mum!" Bell cried. "I remember now!"

"Why, that's wonderful, dear!" Pelli exclaimed, and she bent over and hugged Bell, too.

"I wonder why we aren't dead," Soren whispered to Pelli.

"Actually, the book was right." Neila now spoke up. "It said that if the retriever of the ember had no intentions of becoming king, the present king and queen would survive."

"Hey, thats right!" Shard said. "I'm not interested in being king. Plus, I'd be next in line for the throne either way."

They all churred. "Well," Soren said. "You two already have some heirs of your own."

Bell just stared at him. "What do you mean?" Soren churred. "Your eggs!" Bell now joined in churring. "Oh, yeah. My eggs. Wait… MY EGGS?"

_Epilogue_

"Yes, the last thing I remember was sneaking off on the search-and-rescue mission. That's it. It's all black up until I saw Shard."

Pelli's eyes grew rounder. "So, you don't remember being a hagsfiend?"

Bell's beak dropped open. "I was a hagsfiend? What did I do?"

Pelli scratched her chin. "Well, at first you were really angry all the time, then you insisted on disobeying me, and set three eggs, then we locked you up, then you escaped and joined the hagsfiends. Apparently, once you saw Eglantine, you went back to normal."

Bell looked nervously down at the eggs. "Well, I guess that explains that. I still can't believe that these eggs are mine. It feels so… _weird _to be a mum. I don't know how I'll manage it; with all the chaw practices, I'll hardly have any time to raise them."

"Well, you'll always have Shard," Pelli pointed out. "He'll help, don't worry."

Bell leaned up against her mother's warm chest. "I love you, Mum."

Pelli smiled down at her daughter. "I love you too, Bell."

* * *

><p><strong>Finally, it's all over! I think it was just about the same length as my last story, so I'll try and make my next on a bit longer. <strong>

**Anyway, I'm considering writing another sequel to this, involving Bell's chicks. Leave a comment if you think I should. And thanks to all the readers who've stuck with me for the whole two stories now.**

**Well, I guess this is all. One last disclaimer.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Guardians of Ga'Hoole.  
><strong>


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